G.I. Combat Vol 1 261
** ** ** ** Supporting Characters: * Antagonists: * Colonel Gunther Von Donner * German Infantry sergeant * German Artillery soldiers Other Characters: * American citizens * Polish guerrillas * Areena * Egyptian Desert nomads Locations: * , * , Flashback * , Flashback * , Flashback Items: * German Luger pistol Vehicles: * * German Panzerkampfwagen IV tank * German Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251 half-track | StoryTitle2 = Mercenaries: "The Deadly Triangle" | Synopsis2 = The Mercenaries, Gordon, Horst and Prince, have blended into the crowd in the city of Siem Reap in Cambodia, hiding from their pursuers in the French Foreign Legion. While looking for a means to make some money, they come across a group of white men being attacked by thugs with knives on the street. Prince is against helping the men, seeing no monetary gain, Horst and Gordon leap to their defense. The thugs seem to have the upper hand against the two mercenaries, but finally Prince joins the fight and tips the odds in their favor. The three thugs are killed, and one of their victims has survived, although badly wounded. The man asks the Mercenaries to get him to his seaplane in the river, and offers the guys a thousand dollars a week to act as his bodyguards. The Mercenaries agree, reaching the plane just as a squad of Cambodian troops arrive. They take off into the air before the soldiers can get them. On the plane, the three begin to look through the cargo the man is carrying. They find loads of automatic weapons and grenades, as well as little packages of cocaine. When they ask the man about the stash, he tells them that he supplies the guns to terrorist organizations all around the world, including the Meiner Badoff Gang in Germany and the Red Front in Italy and Japan, as well as rebels in Nicaragua. When Prince asks him about the cocaine, he tells them that America is his biggest market. The Mercenaries want nothing to do with his "business", and the man turns on them with a machine pistol and orders them off his plane... without parachutes. The man is distracted by the Mercenaries, and doesn't realize that the plane is being targeted below by river pirates. They fire at the plane, hitting it and causing it to spiral out of control. Gordon tries to bring the plane back under control, managing to glide it in for a hard landing on the river. The Mercenaries are knocked unconscious by the crash, and the pirates begin to board the plane. However, before they are able to get inside, a wad of dynamite is thrown by a mysterious arrival at the pirates' boat. They explode, destroying the boat and causing the plane to sink into the river. The water bring the three Mercenaries back to consciousness. As they emerge from the river, they discover their mysterious savior is a beautiful Cambodian woman named Ania, High Priestess of the god Lokesvara. She explains that every day a holy man has sent her to the river to await their coming. The three don't question, and climb aboard her boat as they begin the journey through the jungle towards the Temple of Angkor Thom. Upon arriving, they are brought before Rhee, the Holy Man and guardian of the temple. He tells them of the evil and destruction the river pirates bring to their lands, murdering their farmers when they disobeyed their orders to grow cocoa leaves to make into cocaine and poppy for opium. Prince tells the Holy Man that guns are more effective against the pirates than his god. The Holy man orders them to look up at the Buddha statue, where they watch as the golden cobra in its hand glows and then vanishes from sight. The Holy Man has places the image of the golden cobra in their minds, telling them that it was stolen by looters in 1489, but last year a villager had come forth with a map that can lead them to where the treasure is buried. He tells them that they will be rewarded beyond their wildest dreams, which persuades them to agree to go looking for the treasure. But just as they begin to leave, they get word that invaders are approaching the temple... | Editor2_1 = Murray Boltinoff | Writer2_1 = Robert Kanigher | Penciler2_1 = Vic Catan | Inker2_1 = | Colourist2_1 = | Letterer2_1 = | Appearing2 = Featured Characters: * ** ** ** Supporting Characters: * Ania * Rhee, the Holy Man Antagonists: * Cambodian street thugs * Unnamed Drug Runner * Cambodian River pirates Other Characters: * Cambodian citizens Locations: * Siem Reap, Items: * Automatic machine pistol * Cocaine * Dynamite * Sacred Golden Cobra idol Vehicles: * Grumman Albatross seaplane * Pirate riverboat * Canoe | StoryTitle3 = D (For Death) Ration | Synopsis3 = In the barracks of a German Stalag, two German soldiers enter and demand to know which one of the prisoners is Corporal Francois Bonami. As they take him away, the other soldiers are puzzled by why he has been chosen. In the quarters of the camp commandant, Bonami is brought before Major Lintz. Lintz has been reading the interview records, and has discovered that Bonami is a world famous chef. The major has heard of all the great dishes that Bonami has created, and now appoints him to fix his meals from now on so that he can have the great dishes as well. Bonami agrees, and tells the major that he will start with preparing his greatest dish, Champignons Bonami. That night, Bonami is preparing his dish, under guard. Once finished, he presents it to Major Lintz, who can not wait to taste the famous chef's work. But while eating it, the major begins to get dizzy and, unable to breath, passes out onto the floor. Bonami's plan has worked. He snatches the keys from Lintz's pocket and releases the other prisoners. But before they can get too far, the alert is sounded over the speakers. The prisoners had first raided the arsinal, and shoot the soldiers rushing out to see what is happening. Once the prisoners have escaped into the woods, they ask how Bonami was able to poison the major without any one knowing. He explains that his dish, Champignon, is made with mushrooms, and that he was able to collect as many poisonous toadstool mushrooms as he could find while working out in the field. The other prisoners tell him that he should open his own restaurant after the war, but please... no mushrooms for them! | Editor3_1 = | Writer3_1 = George Kashdan | Penciler3_1 = Dionisio Roque | Inker3_1 = | Colourist3_1 = Jerry Serpe | Letterer3_1 = Esphidy Mahilum | Appearing3 = Featured Characters: * Corporal Francois Bonami Antagonists: * Major Lintz * German Infantry soldiers Other Characters: * American prisoners Locations: * Items: * Toadstools | StoryTitle4 = Haunted Tank: "The Invisible Medals" | Synopsis4 = At headquarters, Skipper hands over a box full of various medals and decorations for those soldiers who have won them with their bravery and blood. He gives Lt. Stuart his orders, to histle them over to Division H.Q. so the general can present the awards to their owners. Stuart climbs aboard the Haunted Tank, and Rick, Gus, and Sgt. Craig look over the different medals within the box. They wonder which one's they'll get, as they've given their own blood and sweat during the war. On the trail, Lt. Stuart ponders which event could have earned him a medal. He remembers back to a time when he picked up a group of refugees on the road to Soissons, who were under attack by a German plane buzzing above. The plane continued to strafe the refugees and the little tank, trying to get the tank out of the way so it could finish the job on the refugees. Stuart stayed firm, unloading his MG into the plane as it neared them. Bullets zipped past the lieutenant within inches, but finally he was able to get a killing shot and sending the plane into a fiery death. He saved the lives of the refugees, which should surely have earned him one of the medals. Down below, Gus is also wondering about which event could have earned his own medal. He thinks back to a little stone church. The town was under attack by German forces, and Gus burst into the church to warn the town folks to run to safety. But no of them civilians move, and as the Germans enter they shoot down the priest. The priest asks Gus to protect his flock, before dying in his arms. Gus rushes out of the church just as a German half-track approaches. He fires his machine gun, but his hit in the arm by enemy fire. Reaching for a grenade, he lobs it with his good arm right into the half-track, destroying it. Gus scoffs at the idea, giving him a medal for killing in a sacred place like a church. Rick is also thinking, and comes to the conclusion that his medal must be from his actions on the Oise River. The Haunted Tank was crossing a shallow spot in the river when a shell came out of nowhere. The concussion knocked them all out. Rick regained consciousness first, and looked out to see a Panzer tank coming right at them to finish the kill. With blood pouring into his eyes, he managed to get a sight on the approaching tank and fire a shot, destroying the Panzer and saving himself and the rest of his crew. Rick can't wait to get his medal for bravery, hoping to get both a heroes parade and a girl named Wanda back home. Sgt. Craig believes he is too new to the Haunted Tank to be up for a medal, but that he could be getting one for his actions at Belleau Woods in 1917 during World War One. German machine gun fire had the infantry pinned down, and Craig, in charge of an old Mark VIII tank moves in to take out the nest. A direct hit on the side of their tank sets them on fire and killed everyone inside except for Craig, who continues on to destroy the machine gun and free the infantry. Later, after they arrive at Division Headquarters, Lt. Stuart hands over the box of medals to the general's staff. The Haunted Tank crew are expecting a front seat at the ceremony, but they are informed that they have a new mission and must return to their own base immediately. The crew is angry and disappointed, but Lt. Stuart explains that every soldier who has ever been in combat deserves a medal. Even if it's invisible, they know it's there. The crew mount up and the Haunted Tank rolls off to their next mission. | Editor4_1 = Murray Boltinoff | Writer4_1 = Robert Kanigher | Penciler4_1 = Sam Glanzman | Inker4_1 = | Colourist4_1 = Jerry Serpe | Letterer4_1 = Gaspar Saladino | Appearing4 = * ** ** ** ** Supporting Characters: * Antagonists: * German Infantry soldiers * German pilot Other Characters: * American Artillery captain "Skipper" * French refugees * French villagers Locations: * Items: * Purple Heart medals * M1 grenade Vehicles: * * German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter plane * German Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251 half-track * German Panzerkampfwagen IV tank * American Mark VIII "International Tank" AFV | Notes = * The first story, "Devil's Chance", is a flashback story from early in the war during the time the Haunted Tank spent in the desert in Africa, before the deaths of crewmen Arch Asher and Slim Stryker. * The second story, "The Deadly Triangle" featuring the Mercenaries, continues next issue and concludes in issue 263. | Trivia = *In this issue's "Let's Make Tracks" letter page, editor Murray Boltinoff informs the readers of the U.S. Army's intentions to replace the tried and trusted Army Jeep with a bigger, higher-mobility, and more multi-purpose vehicle known as a "Hummer". A small illustration of the Hummer by Sam Glanzman is included. | Recommended = | Links = }}